Online company picks Glendale

LegalZoom — the online legal services company started by famed attorney Robert Shapiro — will move 300 employees to downtown Glendale after signing a 10-year lease to relocate to the City Center building on North Brand Boulevard, officials said.

The company, which provides non-lawyers with online filing and document services, has signed a 10-year lease and will move its headquarters to 101 N. Brand Blvd. in the first quarter of 2011. It will lease two floors in the 19-story tower, officials said.

"We considered several options, but chose Glendale because it's centrally located and there is growing vibrancy downtown," LegalZoom Chief Financial Officer Fred Krupica said in a statement.

Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian said the move will be a boost for the downtown corridor and the two major shopping centers — the Americana at Brand and Glendale Galleria — just steps from the building.

Philip Lanzafame, the city's director of community redevelopment and housing, said the decision is a welcome one.

"Any time you absorb positive square footage it's good, and it shows even in this difficult time that Glendale is a value," he said. "With its amenities and safety record and location, it is a good place to do business."

Najarian and Lanzafame credited Glendale Economic Development Manager Ken Hitts for working closely with the company.